THE SHOTOVER PETITION.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 58, 18 November 1863, Page 4

THE SHOTOVER PETITION.

MEETING AT ARTHUR'S POINT. A meeting, called by advertisement, was held in the Criterion Hotel, Arthur's Point, on the evening of Monday last. The large room was densely crowded, and numbers were unable to obtain admittance. It was numerically the largest meeting that has ever been held up the country in Otago. Mr. Mirfin was called to the chair. The Chairman said—We have met here to night lor the purpose of making remarks upon the Petition which has been so largely signed on the river. I have no doubt but that resolutions of different kinds will be submitted to you, and I trust that every one will be met with a fair and impartial hearing. Mr. Hyde said—lt may facilitate matters, Mr. Chairman, if every one read his own resolution, and then pass it over to the Chairman to be put by him to the meeting. Before I propose the first resolution I crave your kind indulgence while I make a few remarks. The Petition which I now hold in my hand is not one characterised as having the merit of brevity. It purports to be an exposition of the feelings of the miners of this district. It is no such exposition, and I know many parties signed it who now regret having done so, and many signed it for the purpose of getting rid of an energetic canvasser. (Hissing, and a voice " false." (Perhaps the best thing for me is to read the Petition.) Mr. Hyde then proceeded to read the Petition, and as he went on repeated cheers were given in approbation of the sentiments it contained, and afterwards he proceeded as follows:—And now out of this immense mass of verbiage which part shall we select as being miners views. It is stated that two-thirds of the revenue is derived from the goldfields. This is false—the Report of Mr. Pyke will prove it. The portion contributed by the goldfields amounted only to £96,000. (Cries of " By direct taxation.") The great complaint is want of roads. I admit the want, but I refer to any old Victorian if we were not much worse off thpre than we have ever been here. Contrast the nature of the two countries. We have had

agood deal done for us. (A voice, "very little.") (Another voice, "Show us how.") Wewillvery likely have a great deal more done, and I refer you to the conclusion of Mr. Pyke's Report. (Mr. Hyde was here interrupted by a most uproarious and simultaneous burst of laughter from almost every one in the room, and after the Chairman had succeeded in restoring order, he proceeded as follows: I believe that we might have an improvement so far as regards the franchise, but we cannot get all at once, and the New Zealand Government could not, possibly, give more than they have done* And now we come to the violent attack on the Gold-fields Secretary. I think that gentleman admirably qualified (hear, hear, and hisses and groans). I judge him from his public acts, and only give him credit for them. I know nothing of Mr. Pyke personally. (A voice, " Do you want a billet yourself?" Great laughter.) And now, gentlemen, comes the crowning act of folly to the Petition. Who will ever dream that our present difficulty of communication with Dunedin will be improved when we have to go to Auckland ? Shall it be said that this Petition shall be taken as an exposition of our views? (Cries of "Yes, yes.") Who framed that petition? It did not emanate from miners. (Cries of " It did, and hardworking ones too," and great uproar.) The Chairman—Gentlemen, gentlemen; do not let us acquire as bad a reputation for rowdyism as the Queenstown folks. Mr. Hyde would not acknowledge that he belonged to a class that could not give expression to its feelings in better grammar. (A voice, "Oh, then we will disclaim you;" laughter and cheers.) He moved a resolution condemnatory of the Petition, Mr. Thackeray—l am sorry to say that I have just come from the Upper Shotover, andI never heard anything of what is contained in the Petition, and I never heard of the Petition up there; therefore I have much pleasure in seconding the resolution. Mr. Gillespie—Mr. Chairman, I rise to put an amendment. I thiiik it is needless for us to say a word in defence of that Petition. (Great cheering, joined in by the crowd outside.) It is an insult to the miners to say that that Petition was signed under false pretences. I was a canvasser for signatures myself, and can testify to the willingness with which the miners came forward—nay more, the anxiety displayed by them to forward in it every way. (A voice, "Three cheers for.Gillespie," which were heartily given,) and as for the Upper Shotover, what folly it is for any man to say that the Petition has not been heard of there, when the Petition at this moment in my hand contains 700 names signed between Maori Point and Skipper s. The reign of presumption is not over when we see a fag-end only of the community come forward to oppose a true expression of our wants and wishes in the way that has been done to-night, when we see one or two individuals trying to lead us past the evidence of our senses. Will you be so misled ? (No, no ) What have the Provincial Council done for the miners ? They have been very active in taking our money and spending it in Dunedin. We have heard a comparison made with Victoria. Such a comparison is ridiculous. We have here all the experience acquired in Victoria, and when age and experience combined do not conduce to the making men wiser, then they must be given up as hopeless. The Otago Government had only to follow the example of the Victorians so far as it has turned out good, and applied it in principle to the Province. Had they done so we would have been better off to day. I was in hopes that nothing personal would have occurred here to-night, but as the allusion has been provoked, I must say a word as to the conduct of Mr. Pyke. It is denied that Mr. Pyke has acted illegally. Who removed Mr. Wood? (Great uproar; a voices—"Three cheers for Mr. Wood," which were given.) Mr. Pyke had that gentleman dragged down to Dunedin upon a number of frivolous charges, and an investigation took place. We all know the result—he was tried and honorably acquitted. (Cheers.) Nor was Mr. Wood the only officer in this district who was interfered with by Mr. Pyke; but an investigation into the charges contained in the Petition will prove all these things. It has also been stated here to-night that there were people who regretted having signed it. If any man has said so, then I denounce him as false to his colors. (Hear and cheers, and a voice, " Let them step forward and take out their names") I beg, in conclusion, to move the following amendment:— That this meeting regards the Petition referred to as a proper document, embodying a true expression of the wants and feelings of the miners of the district, and consider that it is an insult to the understanding of the miners generally to attribute to them the ignorance attempted to in the motion. Mr. Harris seconded the amendment. He said—Mr. Gillespie has taken away all necessity for my speaking. He has said all that

is necessary. As one of the canvassers, however, I may mention that I read this Petition in public to upwards of 80 diggers on the Big Beach. They signed it to a man. After it was read, the Petition was laid on the drum of an old California!) pump, and man after man stepped forward in turn and put down their names deliberately, and thinking of the consequences (cheers). It is an insult to tell us that the Petition was not got up by miners. We got it up. The thing has been done truthfully, and no unfair means have been taken to procure signatures. We have a right to petition. It is the only constitutional method of obtaining redress, and we have a right to speak out when we consider ourselves wronged. An attempt has been made to throw aspersions on the character of the man who drew that Petition. They have failed. The man who drew that Petition I have known for years, and I know that he is disinterested and is entitled to your gratitude; and I call upon you to give three cheers for him. (Three deafening cheers.) A Voice—Do you think the opposite parties disinterested ? Mr. Harris —I do not. The Chairman then put the amendment, and with the exception of one or two, every hand went up amid the wildest cheering. He then put the motion, and the hooting and hissing from those in the room and the crowd outside was very trying to our reporter's nerves. Mr. Allan said—l wish to ask why we of the Upper Shotover were not asked about that Petition ? (A scene of the wildest confusion here ensued, and when Mr. Allan had an opportunity of being heard it was discovered that he was loudly denouncing the Government for having kept him five weeks waiting for a warden at Maori Point.) Mr. Anderson said—The resolution I hold in my hand is in support of the Provincial Government (great uproar). The Chairman —Gentlemen, do keep order. Mr. Anderson—lt is well known that the Provincial Government are untried. They have, in the course of two years, made several grievous failures. How much more likely is it that the people of Auckland will do the same. Did you not read that the Government have had a quarrel with the banks, and that they have not got any money ? How can they give us roads then, and how can they help ui in any way if we take away the gold fields from them ? I beg therefore to move the following resolution: That this meeting, while being aware that the Wakatip district has not yet had expended on it a commensurate share of the large revenue it yields, takes into consideration the transition state of the colony from a purely pastoral and agricultural settlement to that of a great goldpi oducing iountry, and consequent extraordinary tax on the resources of its Executive, in extenuation of any lack of immediate attention to the requirements of this important district, and hereby expresses its continued confidence in the ability of the Provincial Government to administer effectively the affairs of the Gold Fields of Otago. (The resolution was received with hisses and groans.) Mr. Connor seconded the resolution—l believe that removing the management of the goM fields to Auckland will not do any good, and we may go further and fare worse. Mr. Harris—l move the following as an amendmeut: — That this meeting has not the slightest confidence in the acts of the Provincial Council, and considers that as the New Zealand Gold Fields were opened some two years ago, they have had plenty of time to make proper laws for our guidance. The amendment was received with cheers. Mr. Steel seconded the amendment, and it was carried by acclamation, a voice from the outside crying, 44 Mark down 350 here for it." An individual evidently well known under the sobriquet of 44 Tommy," made himself very conspicuous at this period by shouting out that the Petition was 44 all right." The Chairman then claimed a hearing for Mr. Allan. Mr. Allan said—When on my way up the river I heard of this meeting, and I am not sent here, but only speak for myself. Arthur's Point seems to be the favourite. We were never asked to sign the Petition. We have been left like black sheep, and I beg to move the following resolution, ( 44 A voice, will you take a drop of brandy ?") 44 Yes." That as the miners on the Shotover are not adequately represented at this meeting, partly in consequence of the smallness of the room and partly because the Upper Shotover miners have not received notice, that the meeting adjourn to a future day. Mr. Thackeray seconded the resolution. The Chairman put it to the vote, and it was lost. Mr. Gillespie then rose and was received witlrcheers, and proposed the following resolution : - That this meeting is of opinion that the present Mining Rules are quite inadequate to the wants of the District: that the whole machinery re-

quires re-adjustment, and that too much care cannot be exercised in the appointment of officers to see that the Mining laws are justly and efficiently carried out. He said—You are all aware that gross injustice has been perpetrated on the Shotover through the want of Courts of Appeal. The whole machinery of the government requires re-adjustment. When you have to get a dispute settled it is aggravating enough of itself, without knowing that you lose it through ignorance. Mr. Edwards seconded the motion. The Chairman put it to the meeting. It was carried with cheers. Mr. Harris—l have another resolution to ! propose. It is as follows : That the language used by the Dunedin press relating to the Petition is quite uncalled for, and we regard the language used by them as an insult to the understanding of the Petitioners, showing such an amount of presumption and ignorance in connection with the merits of the case as to call for an expression of indignation from this meeting. Mr. George Knight seconded the resolution. It was carried unanimously. Mr. James Milne—Mr. Chairman, I have a motion to make— That this meeting considers that the Wakatip Mail is deserving of the thanks of the mining community in Otago for the steady and unflinching manner in which it has advocated their best interests since its advent. He said—Every one of us have felt the benefit of that paper; it has done a great deal for the miners, and has been for us a good advocate. (A voice, 44 Three cheers for the Mail" Given unnecessarily loud.) Mr. Harvey seconded the resolution, which was put, and carried unanimously. Mr. Edwards—l hope you will express your dissatisfaction with the Dunedin press by giving them three groans, (which was done with dismal vigour.) M. Harris—Now then, boys, listen to me. You know how ready the people in Dunedin are to misrepresent us. They don't stick at untruths. They will call us radicals and everything else, but we will give a practical lie to any such assertion; we will show our loyalty in the only way we can. Never yet have those old rocks echoed to a cheer for the Queen. I call upon you therefore to give three cheers for the Queen and Royal Family. (It was done in the most stentorian manner.) Mr. Hyde, in a neat speeeh, then proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which was seconded by Mr. Harris. The Chairman then quitted the chair. After the meeting upwards of 60 miners signed the Petition, which now presents an appearance something gigantic, being upwards of 40 feet in length, with three columns of signatures, comprising about 2000 names.